“I’m not—he’s—” Words eluded her completely. “I didn’t even hear the phone.”
She loved Anthony and Lonnie, but they loved gossip. And Logan Chandler at her apartment at midnight? That would make the rounds before the doors opened tomorrow.
“Is he cute?” Lonnie cocked a hip against the doorway to the bedroom.
“In a David Beckham kind of way,” Anthony answered. “Why is he calling you at home?”
How could he do this? Incite gossip on the eve of her biggest project ever? “I don’t—”
“On her cell, technically,” Lonnie said. “He wanted to know what time her flight was so he could give her some visual material.” Lonnie waggled his brows.
“Probably just handouts. Here I was thinking you had something going on. I should have known better.” Anthony sighed and laid another outfit across the bed. “You’ll have to mix and match.”
“Or, Logan could come visit you and bring you new clothes,” Lonnie piped in. “If he looks like David Beckham, he should come get them from me.”
“Mix and match it is.” Blood pounded in her ears and her chest tightened. Why was Logan really coming here? She tried to pay attention to Anthony as he came up with ways to stretch four outfits into twelve, but she doubted even he believed it could be done.
They packed things tightly into the rolling bag. This bag, plus her overnight and laptop. Talk about lugging things around. Maybe she should just pack pajamas and pick up new stuff at each store.
Anthony offered to help her get everything to the front door, but she wanted to make sure she could manage on her own. Finding a way to stack it all so she could roll it, she parked the lot by her front door and turned, wiping her hands on her jeans.
“Thanks, guys, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You sure you don’t want a ride to the airport in the morning?” Anthony asked.
“The town car will be fine.” She stepped forward, hugging them both. “And thanks for feeding the fish.”
“I just hope they all make it through this time.” Lonnie let out another yawn. “You want us to stay for Beckham?”
“Is he really coming?”
“He said he had some stuff for you to take with you. I gave him directions.” Lonnie leaned his head on Anthony’s shoulder. “Good luck finding room for whatever it is.”
“We can stay,” Anthony offered.
“No, you two go home and get some rest. Who knows what his call was about.” She pulled open the door and hugged them again before they walked out.
Bolting the door shut, she unraveled her hair from the clip and shook it out with her fingers. She wondered what Logan could possibly want at midnight. Her pulse raced as she thought what an unannounced visit like this might lead to if she were someone else, someone who hadn’t already learned that lesson well.
Soft knocking on her door vibrated through her tense body. Wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, Breeze tried to quell her fluttering stomach. She checked the peephole and her mouth went dry. She’d never had a man in her condo who she wasn’t paying to fix something. Even then, Lonnie usually let them in.
She opened the door slightly and stood in the gap. “You know it’s after midnight?”
“I was waiting for them to leave. I don’t think the guy on the phone bought my cover. They’re together, right?”
“Who?” she stalled, wanting to know just what Logan was after before she let him into her home.
“The big one is your assistant. I recognize him from the walk through.” He cocked his head to the side, his brown eyes twinkling. “Let me in, Breeze. We need to talk.”
“Maybe when I get back. It’s really not appropriate.”
“Why not?” He braced a hand on her doorframe and leaned closer.
“It’s unprofessional for us to see each other personally when we work together.”
“We don’t work together.” He shook his head.
“We spent the whole day at work together,” she reminded him. “And what’s in your hand? More work?”
“But it’s not like you work for me.”
“You’re splitting hairs. It doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll be gone for almost a month. And when I get back I’ll have a lot of catching up to do.” She ran a hand through the mass of curls, wishing she’d looked in a mirror after removing the clip. “And then I’ll be running into the holiday season. It’s not fair to ask you to wait.”
“I’m not planning on waiting.” He pushed her door open with his hand but stayed on the landing.
“You’re not coming in. I’m not someone you can call at midnight and think coming over means…that we’re going to…” She waved her hand through the air, trying to make her point and push away the erotic scenes unfolding in her mind.
“To what, Breeze? What is it you think I want to do?” He stepped closer, his toes on the edge of her welcome mat. He probably expected her to step away, but she held her ground and his gaze.
“I don’t care.” She lifted her stubborn chin.
He dropped his voice to a deep whisper. “Oh, but you do. You want to know if what I had in mind matches up with what’s running through your thoughts right now.”
Her skin flushed a telltale pink, letting Logan know he was right. He knew he had one shot to get her to open her mind to the possibility of them together before she disappeared for a month. He needed her to agree to let him call and visit and make sure she took some downtime. Though his brief glimpse at the schedule Mendelssohn’s had faxed him showed little room for fun.
“You want me to go?”
She closed her eyes and nodded slowly. He reached for her hand and pulled it to him while she stayed still as a statue. He raised her wrist to his lips and felt the pulse point thrum.
“You don’t want me to leave yet.”
Her eyes fluttered open, the icy color melting into a blue like the center of a flame. His temperature rose at the sight, heating his blood to simmering.
“Let me in, Breeze.” He clutched the stack of promotional photos tighter in his hand and considered throwing them to the ground.
She stepped aside, each breath deep and labored. He stepped into the room and she backed against the door and then closed it. The only light in the room came from the glow of a large fish tank that was filled with greenery and gurgled softly.
She watched him intently, eyeing the photos as he set them on her suitcase. “I thought I might need a cover. You don’t really need them.” He stepped to her and she pressed herself tighter against the door. He lifted a hand to her cheek and slid his fingers along the smooth skin.
Her eyes opened wider, showing so much emotion he couldn’t guess what it all meant. Stunned, mesmerized, frightened. Wanting to calm her, he didn’t move closer, but instead indulged his curiosity and slid his fingers into her thick curls.
There wasn’t a tangle in the silken strands, just tight, smooth ringlets. Her hair intrigued him. It was so beautiful, yet she kept it twisted and hidden most of the day. The smooth glide of his fingers held an erotic effect he hadn’t counted on, but then so did most things about her.
“Logan?” she whispered, peering up at him.
“No one will know, not unless you want them to.”
“I can’t risk it. I’m so close to getting everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“Me too.” Fisting his hand in her hair, he tipped her face to him, looking in her eyes so there would be no mistaking just what he meant. And then he lowered his lips to hers and showed her.
It would never have worked out. Even if the man did have a superb skill for kissing.
Breeze rubbed her eyes and checked her watch. The plane had sat on the runway for eighteen minutes now. Eighteen minutes she couldn’t have her laptop on, couldn’t work on the notes she’d made after today’s training classes. Four days into this marathon business trip and she had everything nearly perfect.
Which scared her almost as much as not wanting to tell Logan no that
night at her condo. His cologne must have pheromones in it because she’d wanted him, really wanted him. The impact of his kisses was like nothing she’d ever experienced. She had no frame of reference for how she was supposed to react. And so she’d opted for self-preservation.
He didn’t understand, didn’t see how being caught with him could jeopardize the professional respect she’d worked so hard to attain. He’d even been so bold as to ask her if she was just using work as a front, a way to keep something between them.
No matter how right on he was, she’d never admit it. Work was all she had, and no temporary thrill was worth risking her future. And she would be temporary to Logan Chandler.
Huffing a sharp breath, Breeze reached into her laptop bag and drew out one of the books she’d picked up at the airport bookstore—an illustrated guide to astrology.
She’d never put much faith in the stars, but she hated to be bored. Hated having time to overthink things. Almost as much as she hated sitting still. It was one of the reasons she worked so much. Her brain on idle was a scary place to be.
Breeze took a deep breath, opened the pages and skimmed them one by one. The first book she’d bought on day two of the trip had been a guide to speed-reading. With so much free time on her hands she figured she might as well learn something. And why read slowly when you can get through a book on each short plane ride?
Information swirled in her mind as she felt the plane taxi for takeoff. The zodiac, elements, qualities and polarities, planets, houses, angles and progressions. And then she came to relationship astrology.
It gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Hey baby, what’s your sign?”
With a slight chuckle, she read on, her pulse racing as she read that attraction can be instant between two opposite signs. And then she laughed out loud when she read about her sign. Leos were supposed to have a sex drive so strong they demanded regular satisfaction. If that were true she wouldn’t have sent Logan home. She also didn’t take too kindly to being labeled as vain. Yes, she cared about appearances, but vain she was not.
She slammed the book shut and stared out the window as the plane cruised over Nebraska farmland. She was finally getting to see the country, from the air. She’d been to plenty of other stores, but always in the same time zone. If only she had time to look around, or the chutzpah to explore by herself. She had all the confidence in the world inside a department store, but she’d grown up in a very small town and felt like she stuck out in big cities like a sweater on a swimsuit rack.
At the next airport she’d have to pick up a travel book about the states she was going to visit. Sure, they all looked the same. Similar hotel-room floor plans, comparable department-store layouts. But technically she was hopping state lines. Maybe when she made regional manager she’d opt for an extra day at the end of visits to check out a sight or two.
But not now. Now she needed to focus on working in as many store visits as possible to make sure Kicks rolled out smoothly and she got all the appreciation. And a promotion.
Perhaps her smile was smug as she reopened the book, but she deserved the recognition. Even if this trip gave her way too much time to do mindless things like read about astrology. And wonder just how to work “hey baby, what’s your sign” into a conversation with Logan.
“Help me.” Logan leaned across the counter at his sister’s house and picked up an apple.
“Logan, she’s right,” Janelle answered, plucking the fruit from his grasp and placing it back in the bowl. “This isn’t a good idea.”
“What isn’t a good idea?” Janelle’s husband, Marc, walked into the kitchen, a freshly scrubbed Ashley on his hip. The redheaded toddler squealed and reached for her mother.
“Don’t—” Logan tried to stop her, but Janelle kept nothing from Marc.
“Logan is crushing on the Mendelssohn’s rep organizing the training for the Kicks roll out.”
“Janelle.” He knew he sounded like a whining teenager, but was nothing sacred?
“Really?” Marc handed Ashley over. “I thought you said she’d be traveling to make sure things worked smoothly on their end.”
“She is. He wants me to tell him how to win her over when he meets up with her.”
“Oh, buddy, you have it bad.”
“What’s worse, he’s trying to tell me it’s work related. Like she needs him to make sure she doesn’t get burned out.”
“Would you two please stop talking about me like I’m some kind of sitcom?” Logan grabbed the apple again and snatched a bite before Janelle could swipe it away.
“So stop acting like one.” Marc leaned against the tiled countertop. “If you want to see her, call and arrange it.”
“She won’t answer his calls.” Janelle had the nerve to laugh.
“This is not funny.”
“It serves you right.”
“Excuse me? You’re my family. You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I’m a woman, and with as many women as you’ve made miserable, it’s about time one made you squirm.”
“Thanks a lot.” He crunched into the apple, then tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean I’ve made women miserable? I’m a nice guy.”
“Yeah, until they want to take you home to meet their parents or talk about the holidays. It all starts feeling too serious and you worm your way out of it.” Janelle handed Ashley off and promised to be up to read her a story in just a minute.
“You’re exaggerating.” He took another bite and rested his elbows against the counter. “I don’t see any point in involving families if the relationship isn’t going to the next level.”
“You never make it to the next level.”
“Neither did you before Marc. Sometimes all you have is attraction, and that unravels. I’m waiting for something that coils tighter. Unbreakable. Like you and Marc, or Mom and Dad. Besides, this isn’t about that. Breeze is so wound up she’ll snap if she works non-stop for a month. She needs me to help her remember she’s more than her career.”
“You only like her because she doesn’t like you. That’s safe, no worries she might try and push for more.” Janelle flashed a knowing smile, making Logan want to tell her exactly how he knew Breeze returned his feelings. “You just want to chase her, Logan. And she has a job to do right now. Let her do it, and play your games when she gets back.”
“I don’t want to chase her. I want to catch her.”
“Logan, she’ll be back. Deal with your infatuation then. You don’t want to jeopardize the Kicks launch, do you?”
“Of course not.” He tossed his apple core in the garbage. “But my wanting to see Breeze won’t do that. It will help. They’re taking advantage of her with this schedule. She’ll turn into a walking ball of stress. She needs to actually live, not just punch a clock.”
“You have no perspective on the situation. I think you’re chasing her because you see her brush-offs as rejection, and you hate to lose.” She held up a hand to stop his protests. “But you need to look at this from her side. Her managers must have a lot of faith in her to let her take on something of this magnitude. If it gets back to them she was playing around with you during her trip, they’re going to think she was playing with you all along.
“And no matter how great she does, it’s highly unlikely Nitrous will trust Mendelssohn’s with another exclusivity agreement. I may work in the IT department, but even I have heard the rumors that Nitrous will never do an exclusive roll out again. You don’t want anyone, including Breeze, to think your relationship had anything to do with that.”
“We won’t. We can keep it separate.” He still made his case, though he knew he’d need to look elsewhere for help.
“Maybe you can, but can she? Can Mendelssohn’s? I doubt it. It’s hard to be a woman and be taken seriously in business. Especially retail. Having an affair with a vendor is seriously frowned upon.”
“But I—”
“No buts, Logan. Let her be. If she calls you, then you
can pursue something. But if she wants to keep her distance, you need to respect that.” Janelle stepped to him and gave him a quick hug. “If it is in the stars, it will work out.”
Logan huffed out his response and watched her ascend the stairs. He looked around the kitchen for something else to eat. His fridge at home was bare, and there weren’t any drive-thrus in the two blocks between his sister’s home and his. Rummaging through the fridge, he found the ingredients he needed for a quick sandwich.
“Hey, lover boy,” Marc whispered as he tiptoed down the stairs. “Just go, let her tell you no in person, and that’s harder to do if you bring her a present. I’ve been there. Remember I had to wear Janey down for two years before she’d go out with me.”
Guilt niggled in his belly, and he couldn’t write it off as hunger. After their parents died, Janelle put everything on hold to move home from college so Logan could finish high school and continue playing soccer with the same team and coaches.
“Yeah, well, she had a teenager to take care of.”
“Still does apparently.” Marc chuckled and stepped back to the stairs. “Don’t eat all the cheese.”
Chapter Five
This hotel looked exactly like the others. Even down to the identical pattern on the upholstered chairs. It was almost as if she repeated the same day over and over.
She’d check into the hotel, make it up to her room and be asleep in twenty minutes. The alarm clock on the right side of the bed would wake her at six. Thirty minutes later she’d be in the lobby checking out, then eyeing the parking lot for the local district manager who’d take her to the day’s group of stores before passing her off to yet another airport where the cycle would begin again.
Whirlwind was an understatement. She’d been inside forty stores in just over a week. With her prior travel and this project, she’d be able to say she’d been in seventy-five percent of the stores. There weren’t many people in the company who could say that. Whenever she got too tired or overwhelmed, she’d remind herself how marvelous this would look at her next review.
For Kicks Page 4